Lavender Sorrow
by MonPetitLoupDeMort
Summary: An innocent question, a simple answer. But life can just never be so easy. He always did have such pretty lavender eyes. AU I think, Spoilers warning.
1. Lavender

An innocent question, a simple answer. But life can just never be so easy. He always did have such pretty lavender eyes. AU(I think), Spoilers warning.

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Sorry I've been off so long. That darn apathy bug. And a tiny obsession with Golden Sun (hint, hint). So, yeah, not much to say. Life is good. I may be out with more updates soon.

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"Well, what would you do with him?"

It was such a simple question, more rhetorical than serious. Almost no one could have foreseen what came next.

The sound of metal slithering against a sheath.

Footsteps, picking up speed.

Silent, wide-eyed horror.

A bright flash, less than a second later a blinding flash.

"No…" Garet's whisper drifted out in the silent room as everyone else blinked light spots out of their eyes. An oppressing dread took hold of everyone in the room.

Later the sequence of events would be pulled together into one coherent silent horror film, but for now the only things felt now in the room were confusion and fear.

The vision greeting Isaac and Mia's returning vision left them wishing that they had been permanently blinded.

There was Ivan, sprawled in an awkward sitting position on the floor, crimson slowly seeping into his violet shirt.

Mia's first thought was that it would heave been very pretty, had Garet's Shamshir blade not been sticking out of Ivan's chest. Her next was that her Glittering Tiara, which prevented delusions, had broken. A soft moan from Ivan dispelled that notion.

Garet stood gaping in horror at the sight his hand had created. It wasn't supposed to happen like this kept running through his mind, only once interrupted by the thankful thought that his Shamshir Blade hadn't released Acid Bath, and Ivan remained the cherubic little angel he always looked like. Ivan's moan caused the immediate cessation of any and all his thought processes.

Isaac stared uncomprehendingly at the sight before him. Garet was standing shivering and lightly spattered with a thin film of blood, clashing with his glowing Spirit Armor. Dodonpa was rigid with terror and mouthing something he couldn't quite get out. Mia with the same serene expression as always, minus the small grin always tugging at the corner of her mouth. Hammet was crying, silent tears streaming down his face. There was something, something at the center, something causing all these reactions, but Isaac just couldn't focus it, simply a blurry spot in the middle of the cell. Simple. One low moan from the figure in the center of the room clarified what was happening, in the rational part of Isaac's mind, but there was no time for emotional outbursts. Just a mechanical foredoomed attempt to save Ivan.

Everyone stood rooted in their own isolation, thinking their own thoughts, feeling or not according to their own personalities and experiences. They stood rigid as statues guarding over the eternal tomb of a forgotten prince. Ivan let out a slighting moan and broke the silence of the cave, and the sick spell over everyone in it.

Garet collapsed with a retch onto all fours on the cold stone floor. He kept throwing up until only burning bile and his own vivid blood was left, and still he retched.

Mia ran forward and flung herself down at Ivan's side, her hands glowing with frantic energy and adrenaline in a desperate attempt to heal him.

Dodonpa scuttled backwards, attempting to distance himself from the gruesome scene, one he almost tried to cause.

Hammet surged forward to be closer to Ivan, to help, to be there. He never got there.

Isaac put out his hand in front of Hammet and guided him back to his cot, where he couldn't get in the way. Where he could be alone with his grief.

Ivan opened his eyes and everyone stopped.

Mia's glowing hand rested over his chest. Hammet's hand froze halfway to his eye. Isaac was already still, already withdrawing and he stoically stared on. Dodonpa froze halfway out the door, the look of a guilty child on his face. Garet watched all of it with eyes unseeing.

"I'm sorry…" A feeble whisper emanated from Ivan. He sounded so sad.

"Shhh…" Despite wanting to hear his words, his comforts, Mia told Ivan to conserve his strength for later, when he would need it. He would have none of it.

"I'm sorry that I won't get to see you turn over a new leaf, Dodonpa. I'm sorry Sheba; I won't get to know you for you, to see another wind adept. I'm sorry Garet, but I was only stopping you from doing something you would later regret. I'm sorry Master Hammet, I loved you like a father, but I won't be able to go on the Shaman Rod quest for you. I'm sorry Isaac; there was nothing you could have done today to change the outcome, please forgive yourself. I'm sorry Master Hamma, I won't be back to hear your secret, to find out about your hidden love. I'm so sorry Mia, there's nothing you can do now. Thank you, everyone, for everything. You are my family, and I love each of you dearly as so. Please Mia, just let go now, let me go peacefully. Don't throw yourself away on a lost cause. I'm sorry to be leaving early, but one must as will happen. You all will make it, I just know it. Because you're you. Goodbye…" As his voice faded into silence a sudden chill breeze entered and swirled around the room, leaving as quickly as it came. When it was gone, so was Ivan, just his empty body remaining.

"No! Come back," Mia shook Ivan's body heavily as she cried out, "What about the prophesy? What about your destiny? Come back!" She poured everything she had into her healing magics, tapping into some energy sources she shouldn't for her own safety. Seeing her pouring her whole life into it, even against Ivan's final wishes, Isaac had to move to stop her. He roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her to face him.

"Stop it. He asked you to live, not to die in a futile pursuit. He's gone. Respect his wishes." Mia pulled herself away from Isaac to look at Ivan. She walked over and pulled open the clasp on his soft green cape, then slowly draped it over his body, covering his head last. Her task finished, she slumped down to the floor and knelt heaving body-racking sobs into Ivan's shoulder, overcome.

Over in the corner sat the nonentity that used to be the boy named Garet, the beloved friend, the trusted ally. He watched in silence as Dodonpa silently slipped out of the cell and down the dank corridor, as Isaac carefully lifted Ivan and carried him out of the cave, as an anguished Mia guided a distraught Hammet out into the sunlight once more. But the nameless boy sat there still, in the dead silence, and watched as the torches in the room burnt themselves out. There was no sense of time or place for him, not even a sense of being. A long while after the cell had become damp and shadowed he blinked once or twice, then slowly faded into the surrounding darkness using the power of his cloak ball.

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There you have it, my first real attempt at a tragedy sorta thing. Hope you liked. If you could, some input on if this should be a prologue into a long set of dealing with grief and how we get though the rest of the game sans Ivan, or skip to the chase of some later jucy plot involving Alex and The Lost Age. Thanks.

Oh and today's fun review game is guess the author's gender and general age. Closest gets... something. A gift fic or betaing or whatever. Much appreciated.

-Kit


	2. Violet

Thank reviewers (Procne and Marshmellow Bunny) for the speedy update, because reviews are inspiration, even if they're critiques or -gasp- flames. Luckily these reviews were neither of those.

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"I told him it was too dangerous!" Lady Layana paced back and forth, seemingly furious. "And what did you do? Nothing short of sending him on a suicide mission!"

"He was not forced to do anything. He wanted to. We couldn't have stopped him, even if we wanted to." Mia strode right up to Layana's face, exchanging angry words blow for blow with her.

Isaac, carrying the wrapped bundle of Ivan's body, stood to the side taking in everything that was said while staring intently into the grain of the stone palace walls. They were so much smoother and cleanly cut than the room where _it_ had taken place. They'd be easy to manipulate, should the need arise.

"Dear, please calm down. They did their best. There was nothing more to be done. And you know how he was when he got an idea in his head, nothing would dissuade him." Hammet's words did nothing more than add fuel to the already raging fire.

"Calm down! You ask me to calm down when Ivan, as close to me as my own son, lies there dead in a stranger's hands! You stand here among people who can't even bring themselves to say Ivan's name, and ask me to calm down! They will leave Ivan here and depart immediately! There will be a proper funeral held one week from today, here in Kalay," Layana fumed darkly, "If they have the gall to attend it."

"No." The first word Isaac had spoken in days. Everyone whirled around to stare at him.

"What! You dare to defy me in my own home, about my own son!"

"He is not your son. There will be no funeral here. We are not leaving him."

"I don't care for your tone, boy."

"Then I will be going." Isaac turned to the exit and began to stride out of the chamber.

"Not with Ivan you won't. Guards!"

The guards were confused. No one but friends were with their lady and lord, so they hesitated a moment. It was a moment to long. By the time they reached their lady's side Isaac was almost out the door, Mia hot on his heels.

"Get them! Don't come back until you are bringing them with you!" Lady Layana nearly screeched the order, and the startled guards hastened to obey her commands. They had gotten not even halfway across the room when the stones of the wall glowed, then reached out to form a new wall across the room, blocking their path. They lost even more time just staring at it before figuring out that they should climb out the windows to continue the chase.

Alone in the central chamber of their palace Lord Hammet and Lady Layana stood, isolated from everything. He swept her up into an all-encompassing embrace. She leaned in and started softly sobbing into his shoulder. Hammet had already gotten his time to greave, as short as it was. At least he had been there for the final comforting words of his adopted son. Now he had to comfort his wife, be her rock in time of hardship, lest she wash away into her grief. He could not help the few single tears that slid down his face, though, as he listened to the near incomprehensible words of his love.

"He's gone. He's gone... really gone, and not coming back."

They held each other tightly, hoping that if they tried hard enough that they would wake up from this terrible nightmare called life.

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"Wait up Isaac." Less of a harried statement than a command. Mia had followed Isaac out of the chamber and had to hurry to even keep pace behind him. She refused even a simple glance backwards at the sound of shifting and grinding stone to see what the briskly moving Venus adept in front of her had caused behind her.

She had been filled with so much hope when Isaac had spoken again after days of absolute silence, only to have him retreat again now. She followed Isaac out of town and north into the dark woods, where he stopped to rest for the night in the shade of a sloping pine tree. She ventured to speak.

"Isaac, what good will carrying him around do?"

"He will not be thrown into the ground to rot like some dead animal." That's right, just think one step ahead, anything more and the despair might overwhelm. There is a job to be done, no time to think, just do.

"So you'd have him rot on your shoulders?" Please don't talk like this Isaac, it sickens me. Are you given to the madness? Come back, please talk sensibly again.

"He will have a proper resting place." Don't think about it. Don't think about how it's contrary to everything you've done so far, or how wrong it might be.

"A proper resting place…?" Don't do this to me, please. Let it go, let him go.

"A proper resting place for a Jupiter adept." One track of thought, one only. Get there and do it, then you can think or regret or fade away in peace.

"Isaac, no. You can't be seriously considering… To light the Jupiter lighthouse… Just for a funeral pyre… After everything we've done to stop…" Absolute disbelief. No one could be crazed enough, especially not Isaac.

"Mars will not be lit." The world will not crumble because of you; as long as Mars remains unlit the world remains safe.

"But Isaac…"

"Leave if you want to, but Mars will not be lit. Jupiter… will."

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So, I decided to cover what I consider important cutscenes that get altered and important plot points that need addressing.

Just to say, Ivan is one of my four favorite characters, so today's fun review game is to guess the other three.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

-Kit


	3. Lilac

Again, the amazinng (for me) update speed is thanks to reviewer Procne. Thanks for the encouragement. And the pointing of that tiny little not so tiny plot point (to be adressed next chapter).

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Hamma shot straight up in bed, suddenly awakened with a feeling of deep horror and despair in her gut. She mentally searched around for the usual clouded vision that was her brother's future, which she did whenever she couldn't sleep, but could find nothing except for the brief flash of a crystal clear vision of Jupiter lighthouse, then black emptiness.

She wept, and did not know why.

When she returned to her senses, she realized that the only time someone's future became blank was after their death. She grieved anew, her anguish only tempered by the hope from the moment's flicker of a vision of Jupiter lighthouse, her only chance that her brother might still live.

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The nameless warrior had come to Lama Temple only a few days ago. He rarely spoke, but did his fair share of work, and more, without ever being asked. Whenever anyone inquired about his name he'd simply look at them and cock his head as if trying to recall something then just shrug and continue on his work. He always slept out under a tree just outside the temple complex.

So far, he had avoided Hamma with zeal. Whenever she was nearby, he conveniently disappeared into some arduous labor, only to reappear hours later.

This time it was too late. He was relaxing under a tree after a particularly exhausting endeavor. She was just passing by.

"Hello and good morn, fair warrior. I do not believe I have made your acquaintance. Are you the one who has been doing so many good deeds for the villagers of this area?"

The warrior looked up from under his unkempt, drooping auburn hair. His eyes held only a moment's dull shock before they filled with blank resignation. He didn't want to move on, but he would have to now. Something here drew him.

"I suppose…" He drawled.

"Then why don't you come into the temple with me, and I'll get you some cool tea." Her response was polite, but generated more by curiosity than simple generosity.

He stood ever so slowly and followed her in, looking like nothing so much as an animated puppet.

The tea placed and poured Hamma moved on to the next topic of her interest.

"Do tell me your name, so I may honor you with the use of it."

A moment of silence.

"Mine is Hamma."

Still silence.

"Can you not remember?"

A brief shoulder shrug.

"I could… help you."

Some reaction there. Revulsion, maybe. Hope, definitely. Fear, perhaps.

"I am a Jupiter adept, trained in the ways of wind and the mind."

"Mind read?" The warrior's brow furrowed. She mistook his question as an affirmative answer. He saw the glow of her psynergy a moment to late.

"No! Stop it! Get out!" He backed into a wall, a wave of fear sending him to his knees.

It was too late.

She had seen what she should not have, what he wanted to burden no one else with. What he wanted to forget.

She saw the moment of her brother's death. She saw Ivan die.

Her motions froze and the glass dropped from her fingers to shatter on the cloudy stone floor. She realized that the man before her was no nameless warrior, but Garet, Ivan's friend and traveling companion.

Her brother's murderer.

Everything shattered within her in that moment. Her hope, her love, her whole life, gone. Shards so tiny that they would never make a whole again, not the way it used to be. Not the way she used to be.

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Time to go.

Even in his horror at the re-revelation of the memory of the act his mind had worked to hard to suppress, he knew he had to leave.

Even as something drew him here before, something repelled him now. Some twisted purpose had been served, something fixed, another broken. Something drew him to the south. Time to mourn was past and still ahead, but the now was his immediate concern.

He walked out of the temple, the holy place, as quick as his shocked body could manage.

As soon as he was out the door, behind him arose a substantial twister encompassing the whole temple.

The wails and moans of a grief-stricken sister rose and blended into the shrieks of the wind until they were in perfect sickening harmony.

Out in the woods, Garet retched and again regurgitated the full contents of his stomach. He lay out in anguish for the whole night, grieving for Ivan, and for Hamma, who had only newly discovered her heartache, with no family or close friends to comfort her and help her past the long stretch.

Even as he took up his travel, her keening could be heard for days beyond the limits of sight.

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So, last week's fun review game was kind of unfair I realized, because I have not yetonce mentioned any of my other three favorite characters in Lavender Sorrow. Whoops.

So today's fun review game is to guess which state in the US the author lives in.

Much love to all.(Even if you don't review)

-Kit


	4. Amethest

Sorry, really. I've had this done for the longest time, but it needed editing and I just now found the time to post it. My other Golden Sun oneshots take up so much writing time. I think I have about five going right now. Suggestions always welcome, but you could try to write it first. I love to see an idea and where it goes when two or moredifferent people run with it.

Enough chat, to the real reason you'r here. The story.

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"Go on, get to the boat and wait for us there. Alex already escorted your sister and the old coot down there." Menardi sounded peevish today, dangerously more so than usual. Felix thought it strange that they wouldn't wish him here to see Venus lighthouse lit.

He obeyed anyway and went down the flight of stairs into the room where the energy barrier awaited. He pushed the statue aside and moved over to the next flight of stairs, but paused there. Why was he obeying them anyway? They threatened his sister, his old friends; even this new girl-child couldn't escape their fiendish devices.

For a few minutes, Felix paced back and forth at the top of the stairwell, then turned with a decisively set look on his face and went back up to Venus Lighthouse Aerie.

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"He's still up there. What are we going to do?" Mia inquired of Isaac. They had been waiting for the figure at the top of the stairwell, probably Felix or Alex, to leave for some time now. She did not like the expression on Isaac's face that looked uncomfortably like 'Whatever it takes' to her. She had convinced him to wait, for fear of an ambush or trap, but doubted she could keep him down here much longer

The figure on the stairwell finally turned and strode away, back from whence it came.

After a moment's hesitation, but not daring to wait any longer fearing the imminent lighting of the lighthouse, Isaac and Mia climbed stealthily up the steps. They swept that room for traps, and on their way up the next flight of stairs Isaac pushed off the statue that stopped the energy field from forming. It restarted with an ominous crackle.

There would be no last minute cavalry.

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"At long last the time has come to light Venus Lighthouse's beacon." The words felt like an arduous ritual to be preformed before lighting. Menardi savored each moment that brought them closer to saving Prox.

"With the second beacon lit, only two will remain." The urge to throw the star in immediately was almost overwhelming for Saturos. Just a few moments more.

"No, lighting Jupiter is virtually the same as lighting Mars." Even with Felix safely gone from his element's lighthouse, Menardi remained testy. She always had to be a stickler for details.

"That is true. Jupiter is all that really remains." And with their newly acquired Jupiter adept, that would be a breeze.

"That's true. Your dreams are within your grasp now." Felix spoke as he reappeared from the left stairwell, which he had disappeared down minutes ago.

"Why are you still here, Felix?" The edge on Menardi's voice told Felix that her mood had gone from excited annoyance to tense danger, and that it would be best if he was careful with what he said.

"Because I have a promise to keep." Not that it was the safest thing to say to her in this mood, especially when she figured out what he meant.

"A promise, you say? You must mean Sheba…" Felix did not like that look in her eyes. Best to play out all his cards.

"Yes, Sheba. Why haven't you released her yet? Because you need her for Jupiter Lighthouse?"

"I'm sorry Felix, but we can not even enter without a wind adept." The sneer so evident in her voice made it crystal clear she was anything but sorry. But Felix would not have even started on this journey if he had not been able to hold his own, at least in words, with the likes of her. He wouldn't have been able to survive all these years with his dear, sharp-tempered, loveable little sister either. It wasn't so hard, just life and death riding on every word. No sweat.

"If that is all, then you should go, Felix." Felix had nearly forgotten that Saturos was there as well. He had a tendency to blend in and fade away when he wanted to. What Felix would have given for that ability with Jenna and Menardi as traveling companions.

"No! I cannot leave Sheba behind! I'm taking Sheba to the ship!" Oh well, he always tended to say the wrong thing at the wrong time to attract all the wrong attention. He might as well make the best of it.

"We told you that we'd protect Sheba. Don't you trust us?" Such a smooth tone, Saturos always seemed to remain calm during such decisive moments, on the outside at least.

"Don't you trust me?" Felix's best mocking tone failed to get any reaction from Saturos. If Menardi's smirk, which had worked its way to her mouth now, was any way to judge then the answer was a firm, resounding 'No!'. Not that anyone would say as much out loud.

"Come with me, Sheba! I shall protect you!" Felix's bold exclamation was overly loud on the silent aerie. Sheba was beginning to wonder if she had any say at all in this. She was a person, not property to be argued over. She walked over to Felix anyway, some illogical vestige of trust already formed between her and this bold warrior.

"Are you ready to do this, even though it means fighting us?" Finally some action, Saturos was beginning to think that continuing oppression had dulled the boy's fighting spirit.

"I believe he is! He would not have defied us if he lacked the will to fight." Menardi shot Saturos a glance; their little improvised repartee was undoubtedly working Felix up to the boiling point. They could make good use of his temper.

"If it means protecting Sheba from harm, then I must." If Sheba had been the cooing type, Felix's words would have opened floodgates of gushing gratitude. Luckily she was a sensible girl, and simply gave him an appreciative nod as they edged towards the right elevator of the lighthouse.

"This rebellious attitude is exactly why we've never let you fight."

"Haven't you been given enough reason to fear us on these travels?"

"You're no fighter, Felix. How can you hope to stand against us?"

The taunting comments were getting to Felix. He readied his sword for a final battle, a showdown. He could not lose.

"You've questioned us for the last time! Let's see what you can do!" Menardi had almost gotten bored with all the chatter.

Time to finish this.

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Isaac signaled a halt at the top of the steps to the aerie. As he and Mia peered around the corner, loud bickering could be heard from near the beacon, as of yet unlit.

"Looks like there's been a falling out over Sheba. I don't think Saturos and Menardi trust Felix anymore." If Saturos and Menardi were having troubles with Felix, maybe there was hope for him yet. Mia suppressed the urge to let out an excited squeal. She took a breath to calm down. "They're going to fight, I think."

Isaac's face slowly twisted into a cold smirk, a look Mia had never seen on his face before and never cared to see ever again. He spoke only a single, absolutely toneless, word.

"Perfect."

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Parrying the oncoming blows of two separate opponents at the same time was quite a bit harder than Felix had expected, much less making attacks of his own. He was beginning to consider telling Sheba to run and hoping she could make it away on her own while he stalled Saturos and Menardi.

Then came the lightning flash. Or, more specifically, the Plasma blast.

He had somehow forgotten in the heat of battle that Sheba was a capable Jupiter adept, able to take care of herself. Mostly. He knew that she could not take on Saturos and Menardi by herself, and was beginning to suspect the same thing of himself. Apparently she had come to that conclusion first, and had decided that their chances were better fighting side-by-side. She always was a quick girl.

Felix smiled grimly, but with fresh hope, and renewed his attacks.

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Isaac and Mia arrived at the top of the platform at the exact moment that Saturos and Menardi crumpled under Felix and Sheba's attacks. It disappointed Isaac somewhat to have his fun taken from him, but as Sheba and Felix turned to walk away, Saturos and Menardi once again rose to their feet. They only looked slightly winded.

"Isaac…" Felix was startled. He never expected his childhood friend to have matured into such a warrior in such a short time. Although there was something… unsettling to Isaac's presence now.

"So! You've come to stop us?" These pestering children really grated on Saturos' nerves, especially after his embarrassing defeat at their hands not too long ago. But wait… There had been four of them then. Only two stood before them now.

"Look what your defiance had brought us, Felix!" Menardi felt the need to get rid of these pests, permanently, right now. Only a cool look from Saturos held her back.

"Caution, Menardi. Only two of the four children against us stand before us. The other two must wait in hiding somewhere, possibly for an ambush." A look of confusion passed Menardi's face. Why go against an opponent without the advantage of numbers, if it was possible? Anywhere they were hiding, if it was far enough away not to be noticed, must certainly be to far away for hasty rescuing. What would they do if she and Saturos got to their companions before any intervention could come? Something was definitely not right here.

"I don't need you, or anyone to rescue me, Isaac! I was just about to finish things with Saturos and Menardi… You can watch! Then I'll show you the true power of the beacon's light." Felix was severely annoyed. Just when things were going the way they were supposed to, these children showed up to ruin things again. He could not afford to think of them as anything other than 'these children'. Children who could not understand and must be kept in the dark, just sent home when things get too dangerous. Anything else would have impaired his logic and reason. Not to mention bring up some messy emotional junk.

"Silence! You'd best tread lightly, Felix, or both you and Sheba will suffer!" Not often did Saturos get angry enough to raise his voice, but when fully enraged there was almost nothing able to withstand shriveling under his wrath.

"If anything happens to Sheba, we will have failed Faran…" Mia muttered softly under her breath, but she still hoped to get out of this plus two new party members. And friends.

"Nothing will happen to Sheba." Felix was feeling quite confident by now. He figured that he and Sheba could escape after Isaac worked things out with Saturos and Menardi. Whichever group was left afterwards would undoubtedly be easier to deal with than both at the same time. Saturos ignored him.

"Don't worry. We won't hurt Sheba… if you meet our conditions." This would be good. Menardi shot him a clear 'Are you insane!' look.

"Leave this to me! Sheba! Do you remember the rod connected to Hesperia?" The excitement in his voice strained to be heard.

"The rod of Hesperia?" She thought it best to cooperate until they could get away safely.

"The rod required to reach Jupiter Lighthouse!" Even Saturos' patience had its limits.

"Ye-Yes…" Great time to be a stammering damsel in distress, Sheba wryly thought.

"Those who pursue us bear a rod… Is it the one?" That would be nice, the tool they needed, just falling into their laps.

"Sheba! Stay where you are! You can do it from there!" Testing boundaries was a bad thing to do when Menardi was angry. Nevertheless, Sheba's mind was whirling with ways to retard Saturos and Menardi's attempts to gain access to Jupiter Lighthouse.

She reached out with her mind, first to the girl in blue, a Mercury adept. She could find nothing about a rod there, just vague apprehension and fear. Strangely, those feelings were not directed at Saturos and Menardi. Wait, there was also a tiny glimmer of hope, not quite there, but waiting to be discovered.

Then she jumped over to the brooding warrior next to the girl, a Venus adept. His mind was eerily quiet, almost empty. The only thing connecting him to the girl beside him was the river of sorrow that ran through them both.

A river that ran from her to him… and on to… where? Another mind nearby? On the aerie with them?

"Another…?" Was all that escaped Sheba's lips as she furrowed her brow in effort of concentration to find the other mind.

And find it she did.

"How about it, Sheba?"

"Well?"

Such were the torrents of sorrow and pain and grief unleashed upon her when entering the mind of the hidden person, that it overwhelmed Sheba and sent her into a dead faint. Thankfully Felix caught and steadied her before she could fall and injure herself.

But that still left Saturos and Menardi out one valuable Jupiter adept, one piece of precious information, and one warning that could have saved their lives. Not that they were aware of it anyway.

Menardi took a menacing step towards Sheba's prone form, by Felix maneuvered himself directly between her and Sheba, his weapon at the ready. The look on Saturos' face said that he was not ready to commit to a battle over this, and Felix felt confidant enough to take on Menardi by himself, if the need arose. But he was spared that possibility by Saturos.

"Leave her. It's a waste to wake her up to try again." More than mild distaste was evident in Saturos' voice. He had thought the girl-child stronger than that.

"Saturos." Rarely was such deadly calm heard in a voice other than Menardi's. It sounded entirely out of place issuing from Isaac's mouth. Once he had assured that the proper parties were paying attention, he continued. "Good, I was almost afraid that you had forgotten us. You have something I want."

"What are you talking about, whelp?"

"I want the Jupiter star."

"And pray tell why I would so much as consider handing it over to you?"

"Because I've pledged to rekindle Jupiter's light."

Saturos made a momentary start, but covered it up quickly. This was an interesting twist. Assuming they were telling the truth, of course. Not that it mattered anyway.

"How intriguing… Menardi!"

"Yes, Saturos?" It was like he thought her subservient sometimes. But she knew that it usually wasn't that, he was just a bit… absent minded at times. He hadn't steered them wrong before, not that she knew of anyway.

"Would you please kindly give our guests the Jupiter star?" Menardi momentarily entertained the possibility that Saturos had gone quite stark raving mad, but when she realized what he was driving at, she knew he had not lost his cunning old edge. She smiled a predatory grin.

"Of course…" She purred. Literally, with a roll of the r and everything. Mia suppressed a shudder. Something wasn't right here.

Menardi approached Isaac, walking right past Felix and then Mia like they weren't even there. Keeping a hold of her scythe, she dug in her tunic and produced the Jupiter star. Presenting it to Isaac with an over-friendly flourish that he totally ignored, she even went so far as to make a mock-bow at him. He mirrored her smile back to her.

"Thank you, now we can leave you. No unnecessary bloodshed, right?" Even as he spoke, his actions belied his words. He unstrapped his sword from his pack and settled into a relaxed fighting stance.

"Yes, no _unnecessary_ bloodshed. Of course it's necessary to remove any obstacles from our path." Saturos mused, as though to himself.

"And likewise necessary to prevent you from lighting this beacon." Isaac returned fluidly.

"Seems that there's going to be some bloodshed today… My kind of fun." Menardi narrowed her eyes in excitement. At last an opponent of almost worthy caliber, who might even last for more than a few minutes. This would be amusing at the very least, a break in the monotonous daily tedium of saving the world. She readied her deadly-sharp scythe.

"Bring it on, whelp! You won't live long enough to regret your stupidity!" The words deteriorated as bloodlust overcame Saturos' reason.

"Prepare to experience first-hand the horror of a master Fire Adept!" Menardi wasn't far behind.

Isaac and Mia battled valiantly, but, in the end they were overpowered by the two deft Mars Adepts. As the final blows were raised to be struck, a wave of flame washed over Saturos and Menardi, seeming to push them back.

"Saturos, what was that?" Menardi called. She got no response from her battle weary comrade, who was staring into some shadows under the steps leading up to the pinnacle of the aerie.

As she turned to watch, a figure slowly differentiated itself form the shadows and faded into view.

"Garet…" Mia's whisper could be heard straight across the silent aerie.

"Be on your guard, Menardi. This one has a killer's eyes." Well, Saturos didn't really think that, but a visit to Lunpa and Kalay with some two plus two equals five math gave him the best possible provocation for the moment.

Garet moved silently over between Mia and Isaac. Mia could not help thinking he had gotten very good at silence since she had last seen him. Not at all the same self-centered boy she met at Mercury Lighthouse.

Regardless of the touchingly unsentimental reunion of the young heroes, Saturos and Menardi had a job. And these snot-nosed brats were getting in the way of it. Menardi pulled out the Venus Star, while they were still distracted, and eagerly thrust it down the long shaft into the lighthouse's beacon. For awhile nothing seemed to happen. Isaac noticed what had happened first. He could feel the waves of earth psynergy emanating from the gaping maw of the beacon before even the first sign of the light rekindling itself.

Once again readying for battle, Mia was aghast to see to transformation overcoming Saturos and Menardi even as she watched. They seemed to be bending in the light of the beacon, morphing and melding into each other. Out of the quickly pulsing light stepped a large two-headed dragon, snarling fiercely.

Felix looked around. Things were going badly, that much he could tell. He figured that it was time to take Sheba and go. Unfortunately for him, Sheba had other plans. She wasn't moving from that spot until she saw what happened. She was so fascinated that she didn't even notice Felix's hand on her, trying to pull her away down the stairs. Subconsciously she swatted him away and returned in a trancelike state to her prime viewing location.

The battle raged on under the unyielding light of the lighthouse.

Things were not going well for Saturos and Menardi's dragon incarnation. Even though it was not easy for Isaac, Mia and Garet to keep it at bay, they were doing so. And more.

They were driving it back towards the empty hole of the beacon's pit. Slowly but surely, every step taken forced the dragon back farther, even as it sapped the three adepts to the core.

The moment of truth.

Saturos and Menardi's back claw had just scrabbled against the edge of the hole, slipping into vacant space. Only then did they realize their precarious position, previously hidden from them in their one-minded battle rage. They only had a moment's worth of surprise to puzzle over before both Isaac and Garet leapt into separate simontanious final attacks. Their blades plunged into the dragon's chest easily, and a blinding flash covered the aerie. When it had passed, Saturos and Menardi stood, albeit barely, on the rim of the crater.

"How… How did we lose?" Saturos moaned softly. This was shameful, to stand defeated before his enemies. Children no less!

"We were superior in every way, but still we were defeated." In years, power, cause. Nothing should have let this happen.

Their powers failing after such a long battle in dragon form, Saturos and Menardi began to sway. All energy seemed to have been sapped from their bodies, not even enough remained to stand upright. They simply toppled backwards into the deep black abyss. No one ever knew if they had let it happen, or if they fought the fall to the bitter end. But, there it was, they were gone.

Gone.

Even if the lighthouse had been lit.

It would be so easy, Isaac thought. So easy to send Garet right over the edge, just like Saturos and Menardi. No one would ever know if he used psynergy to push him. Garet was paying no heed to anything in his exhaustion, not even his close proximity to the dark pit. Mia sat panting on the floor, looking the other way, presumably at Felix. Another sticky problem to be faced soon.

So simple, just a push and it would be over. Justice? No, more like revenge. Even in the not quite lucid state of mind Isaac knew he was in, he admitted that fact.

If only…

But wishes didn't matter now.

He tried to work himself up to the act. Nothing should have been easier at the moment. Still coming off his battle adrenaline, definitely not over his dear friend's death…

His dear friend… Before it had happened, he would have applied that description to the boy before him. Now? Isaac wasn't sure if he would now… But he also wasn't sure if he wouldn't now either.

"_I'm sorry Isaac; there was nothing you could have done today to change the outcome, please forgive yourself"_

Isaac blinked rapidly at the sudden recall of Ivan last words to him. Please forgive yourself… What he was doing now, he was taking the blame for what had happened and taking it upon himself to dole out punishment.

Maybe Isaac still could have made himself give the final push, if not for the fact that at that precise moment Garet turned towards him, staring straight at him, or perhaps through him. His eyes seemed to tell that he was fully aware of Isaac's train of thought, as absurd as that seemed, and invited him to do what he wished. Not that he was exactly inviting death, or even wanted to die, but rather that he trusted Isaac implicitly. That he believed whatever Isaac decided would be right and final. As always.

And, like that, Isaac couldn't do it. He knew that it wasn't right or just. It would be murder, no less, no more. And cold blooded at that. He and Mia would most likely be dead right now if not for Garet's intervention and battle skills.

Isaac averted his eyes and turned to Mia. Sometime the air would need to be cleared between him and Garet, but here and now was neither the time nor the place. It was enough for now that he was no longer... out of sorts. Or homicidal, to put it bluntly.

"What now?" Isaac called to Felix, who stood near the stairway back down from the lighthouse, beside Sheba.

"You finished them? No one knew their power better than I did. If you destroyed them…" A strange look came to Felix's eyes at those words, "Then I am no match for you now, Isaac… I must go… Come, Sheba!" She gave him a dirty look for that commanding tone and condescending words. He knew that he would get it for that later, but his machoistic ego concerning his childhood friends would not have been appeased by anything less.

"Wait, Felix!" Mia called to him from across the lighthouse. He was going to leave, just like that? "They fell into the lighthouse. It's all over!" Finally.

He paused and half turned for a momentary look back, a look of pity and almost envy on his half-lit face. "Poor fools… If you think it's over, you are sadly mistaken!" He intoned in his best gravely voice. This was not the time for explanations or pity-parties. Isaac was up to something, and was not to be trusted for a moment.

Just then, a resounding crack shook the air, and the lighthouse leaped apart to split into four equal sections, each too far away from the others to be reached by jumping. The jolt running through the lighthouse threw Sheba off of her feet, but Felix steadied her before she could fall. They hurried down the staircase and out of the lighthouse before it came together again, if that would happen, and Isaac, Garet, and Mia could give chase. Every moment of lead they got was valuable.

After a few minutes of wondering how they were supposed to get down from the lighthouse, short of jumping off, Mia was relieved to see the lighthouse pull itself together again, the beacon shining even more brightly than before.

Isaac reminded himself that now was not the time to be basking in the soothing light of the beacon. He looked around. Even though this particular escapade of theirs had mostly been a failure, at least the team was back together. Well, as back together as it was ever going to get. Time to leave, move on.

"Let's go." He said as he led the way down.

Mia followed immediately after him. Garet looked as though he was going to say something, or ask something, but then thought better of it and simply followed.

Even if he wasn't fully accepted back right now, at least he was no longer totally rejected. It was a start. It was enough for now. Those thoughts echoed in Garet's head as he left the lighthouse with his friends.

It was enough.

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Thanks sooooo much to all reviewers and people who have read and haven't reviewed.

Today's fun review game is to guilt trip the author into getting the next chapter up faster. Give it your best shot. Or not.


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